Harper announces parliamentary secretaries

The Prime Minister’s Office announced the list of Parliamentary Secretaries on Wednesday afternoon.

“Parliamentary secretaries are a key link between ministers and parliamentarians,” Harper said in a press release, noting that the government has a “strong team of men and women to lead the way toward greater economic prosperity and security for Canada.”

Harper also announced that former Parliamentary Secretary for Defence, Laurie Hawn, will now be a member of the Treasury Board sub-committee on the Strategic and Operating Review.

Some of the other members who have been assigned new duties include:

• Calgary MP Deepak Obhrai, who takes the role of Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs;

• Pierre Pollievre, who moved to take over the role of Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities;

• Jacques Gourde, who was the only Quebec Conservative member to not be assigned a cabinet position, is now the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services;

• Candica Hoeppner is the new Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety;

• Eve Adams will serve as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs;

• Chris Alexander, touted by a few to perhaps leapfrog into the cabinet in his first term, has been named the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence.

• Kellie Leitch, an orthopedic surgeon, has been named Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and the Minister of Labour. Leitch overthrew ousted Conservative cabinet minister Helena Guergis in Simcoe-Grey.